Alcohol use disorder and its determinant factors among patients with schizophrenia attending treatment at mental specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use disorder is one of the primary causes of avoidable death, illness, and injury in many societies throughout the world. Although alcohol use disorder can influence the natural history of a disease, disease recurrence, quality of life, and treatment adherence in psychiatric patients, the data on its magnitude is scarce. Objectives: This study was aimed to determine the magnitude of alcohol use disorder and its determinants among patients with schizophrenia attending a mental specialized hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 15 to June 15, 2018. An alcohol use disorder identification test was employed among a sample of 414 randomly selected patients with schizophrenia. Alcohol use disorder was categorized as hazardous drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 8–15), harmful drinking (AUDIT score of 16–19), and alcohol dependence (AUDIT score of 20 or above). The data were entered into Epi-Data 3.1 and exported to SPSS 20 for analysis. Logistic regression was fitted to identify factors associated with alcohol use disorder. Results: The prevalence of alcohol use disorder was 38.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 33.7, 42.9). Of this, 22.4% of the patients had hazardous drinking, 8.4% harmful drinking, and 7.6% alcohol dependence. Factors associated with alcohol use disorder were male sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 5.8, 95% CI 2.55, 13.19), being single (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.63, 5.51), divorced (AOR = 4.3, 95% CI 1.95, 9.47) and widowed (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI 1.39, 8.81), having family history of alcoholism (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI 1.98, 7.19), longer duration of illness (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.83, 8.36), previous history of psychiatric diagnosis (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.1, 4.34), and concomitant use of non-alcoholic substances (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI 2.06, 6.74). Conclusions: Almost four in ten patients with schizophrenia had alcohol use disorder. Male sex, single, divorced, and widowed, family history of alcohol use, long duration of illness, previous history of psychiatric diagnosis, and concomitant use of non-alcoholic substances were significantly associated with alcohol use disorder. Continuous counseling of at risk populations about alcohol consumption should be strengthened.

Determinants of depressive and alcohol use disorders among female sex workers in Ethiopia: evidence from a national bio-behavioral survey, 2020

“…Likewise, one in every two FSW (55.0%) in our study had AUD, of which 20.3% and 34.7% were harmful/ [45][46][47], but it concurs with the finding from another study in Ethiopia [48] and the report among FSW in Malawi [49]. The higher prevalence of AUD in the current study could potentially be attributed to the fact that FSWs are more likely than the general population to experience significant AUD.…”

Profiles and factors associated with schizophrenia in eastern Ethiopia: A matched case-control study

“…It was thought that patients with schizophrenia smoke tobacco to improve hepatic clearance and restore the dopamine blockade caused by antipsychotic medications ( 43 ), thus reducing their side effects ( 17 , 18 ). Smoking cigarettes may perpetuate among patients with schizophrenia to mask uncomfortable feelings ( 47 ), because it relieves psychiatric symptoms, particularly negative and cognitive one. The findings of the present study supports the previous studies in terms of patients’ substance use ( 43 , 48 ).In this study more than half of the schizophrenia patients consume khat possibly because they use psychoactive substances to “self-medicate” in order to “feel good,” “get high,” or “relax,” and socialize with their peers ( 49 ).…”